OPC 2025 Annual Meeting Minutes – October 15, 2025
President Eric Spengler welcomed the attendees and called the Annual Meeting of the Orleans Pond Coalition to order at 4:18 pm. A quorum of members was in attendance. The first order of business was a review and approval of the minutes of the 2024 Annual Meeting. After motion and second, the 2024 Annual Meeting minutes were unanimously approved.
Blue Pages Update – Emily McKhann, board member, presented the organization’s recently launched Blue Pages.
- Discussion of background of why it was time to update that needed refreshing form 15 years ago
- Thanks were offered to contributors to the document, to FOPB for sponsorship and to members
Treasurer’s Report – presented by Kathy Vasquez, Treasurer
- Donations slightly down YoY but expenses were down too. Expenses were largely Sarah’s Pond, Ponderings newsletter and comms, mailings, cyanobacteria expenses, Mutt Mitts, COW. Average donation is up YoY.
- Reviewed number of members and donations + multiple successful grant applications this year too
- Fund expenditures: Comms, town mailings, COW, Mutt Mitts top the list
Membership
- Thank you for Eric Spengler’s 4 years of presidency.
- OPC director slate voted in including 1 year terms for Melissa Brink and Sari Rotter. 2 year terms for Tom Coleman and Vicki Huestis. 3 year terms for Eric Spengler, Rich Levy and Emily McKhann. Nominating committee slate for the year is board members Vicky Huestis, Rich Levy; Community reps – Judith Bruce, David Herrick and Gary Bowden
- All approved unanimously
President’s report – presented by Eric Spengler, President
- Welcome new 2026 directors. Melissa Brink, Tom Coleman, Vicky Huestis and Sari Rotter. Farewell to directors including John Smith, David Herrick, Clyde Hanyen.
- Programs: Mutt Mitts and significant impact by all the volunteers and people who use it
- Cyanobacteria Monitoring: 6 ponds on the rotation. We continue to partner with APCC on testing. No red advisories this year, only yellow advisories. About 280 samples through the course of the summer. It’s a big effort.
- Education: Blue Pages refreshed as highlighted at the top of the meeting. Goal is to turn all residents and visitors into environmental stewards. Pond Pledge continues. 40% increase in membership this year over last and likely next steps to drive more engagement with permanent signs. Participated with Middle School program this year to learn more about how to expand the Pond Pledge.
- Research: Sarah’s Pond Oxygenation Demonstration Project for water quality improvement. This was non-traditional technology tested over the course of several years. Last year we turned equipment over to homeowners abutting the pond. Guidance is to continue running another 2-3 years.
- Celebrate Our Waters- this year we mixed it up and spread throughout the year including April, June and September. Will continue to refine the experience next year.
- Advocacy / Collaboration: Held another Joint Pond Association meeting this year (October). Second year in a row. Will continue to push this forward in the next year based on positive response and engagement.
Speaker – Kristin Andres, Dir of Education & Outreach, APCC: “How to Love Your Pond”
- Review of types of ponds on the Cape and the factors that play into the health of them.
- Discussion of aspects of the vegetation around the pond and importance for all creatures in and out of the water.
- Highlights regarding threats to the ponds and how to think about your relationship with it. Things to do and not to do.
- Concern with invasives and guidance on what to do and not with local ponds and home fish ponds.
- Highlighted concerns with lawn treatments and stormwater runoff (goal is zero runoff and ground filtering to be absorbed by plants.)
- Tips on what to do on the shore as well as in the upland. Lots of information on capecodwaters.org for a list of ideas.
After a Q&A session, and thanking Kristin Andres for her presentation, President Spengler asked for a motion to end the meeting, which after being seconded, was unanimously approved and the meeting was closed at 5:42 pm.